Texas Forensic Science Commission refuses to end inquiry into Willingham arson case | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Texas Regional News

Gov. Rick Perry has been in office too long when he starts doing this type of political manipulation and expecting to get away with it.


Texas Forensic Science Commission refuses to end inquiry into Willingham arson case News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News Texas Regional News: "The commission instead plans to question arson experts at a future meeting about investigation standards at the time of the fire and will look into whether the investigators knew or should have known the science that led them to assume the fire was caused by arson was flawed.
That puts the commission's plans right back where they were nearly a year ago, just before Perry suddenly replaced the chairman and two members of the commission.
Perry's October 2009 dismissals came two days before commissioners were to hear from Baltimore-based Craig Beyler, a nationally recognized fire expert hired by the panel. Beyler has called the fire investigation into the Willingham case slipshod, saying the conclusion that the fire was caused by arson was based on wives' tales about how fire behaves.
Perry's replacements were seen by some as a political maneuver intended to change the outcome of the commission's decision. Perry replaced Austin defense attorney Sam Bassett with conservative Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley as head of the commission.
Perry, however, said the change was a typical use of his power for appointments.
When asked to respond to the commission's Friday decision to reject the draft report and keep reviewing circumstances around the arson ruling, Perry's office only pointed out that Willingham was convicted by a jury and that decision was upheld by state and federal courts."

SEE MY EARLIER POSTS:
http://humanslavery.blogspot.com/2009/09/trial-by-fire-by-david-grann-in-new.html